Foster + Partners Reveal First Images of San Francisco’s Transbay First and Mission Towers

Foster + Partners just unveiled the first images of the pair of skyscrapers they’ve designed for San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal area. The two towers were designed in partnership with local firm Heller Manus Architects as part of the mixed-use First and Mission development. The 605-foot (185 meter) condominium tower will be the tallest residential project on the West Coast, and once completed the 850-foot (260-meter) residential, hotel and office tower will be second only in height to the Salesforce Tower, which is currently under construction nearby.

According to First and Mission developer TMG Partners, the two towers will provide the city center with around 1.1 million square feet of office space, 260,000 square feet of hotel accommodation, and 700,000 square feet of residential areas, which could accommodate close to 216 units of housing in both towers. TMG and partner Northwood Investors recently submitted an application for an environmental evaluation of the proposed office, residential and hotel development. TMG is also currently seeking a hotel partner, and a needs assessment for hotel accommodation will dictate the final internal layout of the taller tower. Ideally, however, the developer wishes to put apartments at the top of the taller tower to provide the highest residential units in San Francisco.

At ground level, Foster + Partners have designed the buildings to be open, accessible and transparent. Architect Norman Foster stated: “Their base provides a new ‘urban room’ for the region and the new pedestrian routes through the site will knit the new scheme with the urban grain of the city.” The entire precinct is under development, designed around the future $4.5 billion Transbay Terminal. The aim of city planners in initially approving the precinct is to center high-density and tall buildings around the upcoming transit terminal so that tenants and residents can easily access transportation. By living and working downtown, residents can avoid the city’s notorious commutes.

While the process of securing city approvals could take another year, the goal is to start construction by early 2016 and complete the buildings in 2018 or 2019. Chairman and CEO of TMG Partners, Michael Covarrubias, said that the firm was already receiving leasing inquiries.